Euthanasia?!?
My Uncle died today- he was 51 years old, a very healthy man (except for the obvious), had three children 19, 25, 27 and lived a fairly happy carefree life. About a year ago he was diagnosed with cancer in one lung- they operated but pretty soon it had spread through his lungs, kidneys and brain. We have been expecting this for a while though none of us really expected it so soon. On monday night, he had a brain haemmorage and it all sort of spiraled down hill for him from there.
He had been unconscious since tuesday morning but his heart was still going. They offered him smaller doses of medication to prolonge his life (though he may of been in some pain) or they could remove his feeding tube, give him higher doses of medication and then finally they removed his liquid tube.
My confusion is this: is this a form of Euthanasia??? They did NOT AT ANY POINT give him a lethal dose of Morphine- but how long might he have lived if he had food and water?
I am also confused because his whole family was ready- they were exhausted, stressed and stretched beyond belief and were ready for him to go. As a Christian, I am dead set against Euthanasia, and seeing the process that my cousins and Aunty went through convinces me further that Euthanasia is not the right thing to do, but what about this situation- he could have lived in pain for longer (I dont know), what about those people who turn off life support machines- is this Euthanasia?
I guess my ramblings are a way of trying to sort all of this out in my head- I have grown up in a family that believes that as long as you do not hurt other people, then if it feels right- do it. We have been discussing things like Euthanasia and abortion and stuff, and my family knows where I stand on these issues, they believe that if it is right for you and your specific circumstances then act appropriately for you.
This belief stretches into most areas of their lives and in general they are not judgemental about anyone. It seems to work in general, though as a Christian I think it is important to make certain judgements about our own lives and the lives of other Christians- what I find difficult to understand (and this probably stems from a very free upbringing) is why we as Christians insist on trying to enforce our views on non- Christians,. Like the issue of Homosexual couples (yes I am stemming into dangerous ground now) I mean I know what the Bible says about it and I know what is expected of Christians, but what I do not know is why we are placing judgement on Non Christians who dont really believe in or care about God. It would be a fantastic world if everyone was a Christian and we all had similar biblical beliefs, but the truth of it is that at the moment- we are not living in a Christian world.
Anyway, I have gone through many muddled up ramblings tonight and am absolutley no clearer on anything and have more than likely confused anyone and everyone who happens to stumble across this blog, but TOO BAD!
Let me know what you think (and please feel free to disagree and argue with me)
He had been unconscious since tuesday morning but his heart was still going. They offered him smaller doses of medication to prolonge his life (though he may of been in some pain) or they could remove his feeding tube, give him higher doses of medication and then finally they removed his liquid tube.
My confusion is this: is this a form of Euthanasia??? They did NOT AT ANY POINT give him a lethal dose of Morphine- but how long might he have lived if he had food and water?
I am also confused because his whole family was ready- they were exhausted, stressed and stretched beyond belief and were ready for him to go. As a Christian, I am dead set against Euthanasia, and seeing the process that my cousins and Aunty went through convinces me further that Euthanasia is not the right thing to do, but what about this situation- he could have lived in pain for longer (I dont know), what about those people who turn off life support machines- is this Euthanasia?
I guess my ramblings are a way of trying to sort all of this out in my head- I have grown up in a family that believes that as long as you do not hurt other people, then if it feels right- do it. We have been discussing things like Euthanasia and abortion and stuff, and my family knows where I stand on these issues, they believe that if it is right for you and your specific circumstances then act appropriately for you.
This belief stretches into most areas of their lives and in general they are not judgemental about anyone. It seems to work in general, though as a Christian I think it is important to make certain judgements about our own lives and the lives of other Christians- what I find difficult to understand (and this probably stems from a very free upbringing) is why we as Christians insist on trying to enforce our views on non- Christians,. Like the issue of Homosexual couples (yes I am stemming into dangerous ground now) I mean I know what the Bible says about it and I know what is expected of Christians, but what I do not know is why we are placing judgement on Non Christians who dont really believe in or care about God. It would be a fantastic world if everyone was a Christian and we all had similar biblical beliefs, but the truth of it is that at the moment- we are not living in a Christian world.
Anyway, I have gone through many muddled up ramblings tonight and am absolutley no clearer on anything and have more than likely confused anyone and everyone who happens to stumble across this blog, but TOO BAD!
Let me know what you think (and please feel free to disagree and argue with me)
posted by Mel M at Friday, June 10, 2005
2 Comments:
This is just my opinion, but I think euthanasia would be some sort of proaction, that is, doing something rather than stopping something.
In regard to 'pushing our views' onto non Christians, I think we should be saying what is right and wrong ,where we are told in the Bible, whether we should force people to do right is a little grey.
Obviously we cannot allow murderers, etc., to roam but where do we draw the line? I think a lot has to do with influencing 'our' children.
As for 'forcing people', I dont think we have any right to enforce Christian lifestyles on those who are not. We shouldnt be judgemental either. We should seek to see them saved first, and then if they choose a life for God, explain to them what that entails.
Dont have enough time to comment on euthanasia at the moment, maybe next time.
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